4/24/09 - 8th Grade - Earth Day

Today we are going to talk about why it is important to take care of the earth. And, if taking care of the earth is so important, what can we do to reduce the pollution that damages our planet?

First, let's talk about greenhouse gasses and global warming. Global warming is one of the most significant causes of environmental change that humans contribute to. Gasses released by factories, cars, raising herds of animals, and running power plants.

This site has information about the effects of greenhouse gasses, and the sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf/brochures/greenhouse/Chapter1.htm

Every consumer product that we buy has a cost on the environment. As consumers, it is our job to choose the products that have the least negative impact on the environment. Let's talk about the cost of buying a product.

Acquiring Raw Materials --> Producing the Product --> Shipping --> Transportation to the Store --> Energy Consumption of the Product

Choose one of these articles, read it, and write a response on your teacher's blog.

Where does most pollution come from?
Livestock 18% (abc news)http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/GlobalWarming/Story?id=2723201

Top causes of greenhouse gas emission: read page 7 and 8 for top CO2 emissions.
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/downloads09/ExecutiveSummary.pdf

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-causes.html

What contributes to pollution? (read about air pollution, and take the quiz)
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/kids/kidsQuizAir.cfmhttp://www.pca.state.mn.us/kids/kidsQuizAir.cfm

http://healthandenergy.com/air_pollution_causes.htm

What are some ideas on alternatives to global warming? What can we do to reduce our impact on the environment?

8th Grade - Career Interests

Check out this website for information about careers. Choose the category, then the title, and you will find a complete occupation profile, with job descriptions, wages, employment statistics, and Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities requirements:

http://www.careerinfonet.org/Occupations/select_occupation.aspx?next=occ_rep&level=&optstatus=111111111&id=1&nodeid=2&soccode=&stfips=&jobfam=

Online Learning:
http://www.worldwidelearn.com/campus-degrees/degree-by-location.php

Bureau of Labor Statistics:
http://www.bls.gov/

3/3/09 - 8th Grade - Alternative Energy

Let's Brainstorm the types of energy that are available.
What is the source of each type of energy?
Is the source renewable (we can grow, or gather more) or non-renewable (once it is all gathered, we cannot make more)?

There may be a few sources of energy that you didn't know about:
http://www.re-energy.ca/pdf/renewable-energy-basics-bg.pdf

http://www.altenergy.org/renewables/renewables.html

http://www.epatric.com/classes/sbc/alt-energy/

1-16-08 8th Grade Immigration/Refugee Assignment

Immigration:
Please look at the following site:http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/newamericans/index.html
Choose one of the "new Americans" stories, and read the introduction, and one of the three episode summaries.
Write 1 paragraph about how reading the story affected you, and what you think the most difficult part about being an immigrant in a foreign country would be.
When you are done, feel free to explore the cultural riches section (about the Art, Music, Food, and Language that immigrants bring to the US), or take the quiz.

Refugees:
Please look at the following site:http://www.isabelperez.com/webquest/taller/l2/word/inmigration.htm
Research a group of Refugees by following one or more of the links.
Write 1 paragraph about how reading about this group affected you, and what you think the most difficult part about being a refugee in a foreign country would be.
When you are done, feel free to explore the rest of the site, or take a quiz.

1/8/09 - 8th Grade Harlem Renaissance

Go to the Harlem Renaissance webquest: http://www.primarysourcelearning.org/teach/lq/012/index.htm. Read the introduction, and then click on the investigation tab. Follow the links to take a tour of Harlem, listen to some of the music that was made during the Harlem Renaissance, or learn more about the literature that came out of the Harlem Renaissance. And answer the questions about the topic you chose, that are shown on the graphic organizer.

10/16/08 7th and 8th Grade: Beginning Microsoft Word

The 7th and 8th grade classes came down to the lab, this morning, and began working with Microsoft Word. We went over opening the program, how to format a paper (name, centered title, date), double spacing, and saving a file. They practiced by writing a short essay. Many of the students were not too familiar with the new version of Word we have at school, but by the end they were more comfortable with how to use the new software.javascript:void(0)